Breaking The News
by Chloe Walker
Summary: The news of Patricks death is broken to the two women in his life- I wrote this before he actually died so there are a few differences to the story.


"Time of death 1607." Max said.  
  
"Someone should tell her."  
  
"I will." Dillon volunteered.  
  
"Shes in the staff-room." Collette told him. "Want me to come?"  
  
"No, I'll do it on my own."  
  
Duffy walked up to Max.  
  
"What about..." She began.  
  
"I've got her number, I'll call her now." Max left resus to go to his office.  
  
***  
  
Lara sat alone in the staff-room. She could feel the tears running down her face. She felt so alone, so scared. She experienced death everyday, she'd cheated death in Sierra Leon but now this was different. If she lost him she didn't know what she would do, she didn't even know if she could stay in Holby. She'd loved him and she was thankful that she had at least had the chance to tell him.  
  
Lara had lost track of time, she had no idea how long she had been waiting when she heard the door open slowly. She looked up and saw Dillon.  
  
"Are you OK?" He asked.  
  
"Not really. How...how is he?" She asked.  
  
"Lara he was really badly injured, he had severe internal injuries, there was nothing we could do. We tried everything we could."  
  
Lara froze, she tried to speak, move, trie to do something but she couldn't. Tears still fell, she started to sob. Dillon moved closer abd put his arm around her.  
  
"Dillon, what am I going to do?" She asked him.  
  
"Your strong, you can get through this, we're all here for you. Max said you can take as long as you want off and you know that you can call me anytime."  
  
"Thanks. But I loved him and now he's left me, I'm gonna miss him so much."  
  
They sat in silent for a few minutes. Lara began to stop crying and she turned to Dillon.  
  
"Can I go and sit with him?" She asked.  
  
Dillon nodded and she followed him into resus.  
  
***  
  
Holly slammed the front door, walked into the living room and sunk into the sofa. She'd just finished the shift from hell and all she wanted to do was sleep. The phone rang and interrupted her thoughts. SHe thought about ignoring it but decided not to.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Hi is that Holly?"  
  
"Yeah." Holly was puzzled, she recognised the voice but for the life of her she couldn't place it.  
  
"Holly its Max."  
  
"Max? Oh, Max, how are you?"  
  
"I'm fine." He paused. "Look Holly theres something I've got to tell you."  
  
"Is something wrong?" She sat back on the sofa and got a really strange feeling deep in her stomach. "Max, its Patrick isn't it."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Has something happened, is he OK?"  
  
"He went out with the paramedics to a collapsed building. It wasn't safe but he insisted on going in to treat a little boy. Josh tried to stop him but the building was unstable, it collapse on Patrick and the little boy. Patrick took most of it, he had head injuries and severe internal bleeding. Holly we're really sorry, we tried everything."  
  
"He can't be dead, please Max he can't be." Holly began to cry.  
  
"Holly I'm sorry, I really wish I had better news."  
  
"This can't be happening, I only spoke to him a couple of days ago. Sorry Max, I just can't believe he's dead."  
  
"Nor can we, we're all shocked."  
  
Max could hear Holly still sobbing, he felt so sorry for her, all alone. He wished that there was something he could do.  
  
"Max why did you call me, I mean I'm glad you did, but why?"  
  
"Because I knew about you two, he told me Holly. After you left he was really down, we went for a few drinks and he told me everything. And there was another reason. Last week he came and asked for a couple of weeks leave, he wanted to come and visit you, apparantly he thought you had some things to talk about."  
  
"Like what?" Holly asked. Patrick hadn't told her anything about visiting her.  
  
"He said something about the future and he said that he wanted you to know he was missing you and...well...he loved you."  
  
"Max, you don't have to say any of this to make me feel better."  
  
"Holly its true, I promise you he thought the world of you."  
  
"It really helps to know that, thank you Max." Holly couldn't believe Patrick actually loved her, she'd always hoped, but now she knew. Not that it mattered, it was all too late.  
  
"Max you'd better go, you've got work to do."  
  
"Will you be OK?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah" Holly lied.  
  
"OK, look I'll call you at the weekend, see how you're coping."  
  
"Thank you Max, I'm really glad that you called."  
  
"Bye." Max hung up.  
  
Holly curled up on the sofa and began to sob. Although her and Patrick had been living separate lives in separate countries she had always hoped that one day they'd be drawn back together some how. Now it was too late. She went to the drawer and took out a photo of Patrick from med-school. She sat on the sofa and stared at it.  
  
"Patrick I'm so sorry." She began, the tears were still flowing, landing on the photo. "I love you and I always will. I can't believe I never got a chance to tell you to your face, I just didn't have the courage. I though that we had our whole lives ahead of us. I'm so sorry, I love you so much."  
  
Hollys whole body shook and she cried until the early hours of the morning when exhaustion took over and she fell into a troubled sleep haunted by dreams of Patrick, who was there but just always out of her reach. 


End file.
